Why do they not put toys in cereal boxes any more?

gingin_2

We got to the bottom of a cereal box this morning and I remembered that when I was younger cereals tended to have some sort of plastic promotional toy in it. I used to love getting the toy in my bowl, no matter how naff it was!

My 7 year old daughter also remembers getting toys in cereals so it can only have happened recently.

I can live without them, so it's not a vent as such, more an observation but why get rid of them and why did the companies all stop providing them around the same time?

midgetessa

Time was when my copy of the Beano might have a pea-shooter glued onto it or a sweet.


Sigh.

3v3

gingin wrote: »

We got to the bottom of a cereal box this morning and I remembered that when I was younger cereals tended to have some sort of plastic promotional toy in it. I used to love getting the toy in my bowl, no matter how naff it was!

My 7 year old daughter also remembers getting toys in cereals so it can only have happened recently.

I can live without them, so it's not a vent as such, more an observation but why get rid of them and why did the companies all stop providing them around the same time?

Money. Cost vs profit.

vuvuzela

They probably got sued one too many times after people didn't realise that they shouldn't eat the brightly coloured plastic toy and choked on it.

fluffnutter

Kids ate them innit

bosseyed

midgetessa wrote: »

Time was when my copy of the Beano might have a pea-shooter glued onto it or a sweet.


Sigh.

Ahhh, happy days. Normally a chomp bar or one of those fizzy chewy things. Back when my Beano cost me 18p a copy (when it hit 29p I cancelled my subscription...).

Toys in cereal used to please me. Now its just nutritional information and miserable word searches or something.

geordieracer

midgetessa wrote: »

Time was when my copy of the Beano might have a pea-shooter glued onto it or a sweet.


Sigh.

You still get all sorts of toys and sweets on the covers of kids comics so what are you on about?

I think the reason they stopped with cereal is as well as the possibility of kids trying to eat them - the marketing companies found cheaper and easier alternatives to promote movies and cartoons.. Link up between movies and fast food stores has increased dramatically with the demise of toys in cereal boxes

madhatter90

It may also have something to do with the idea that companies are bribing children to eat their unhealthy food with toys. I've heard the same complaints about McDonalds Happy Meals and the like.